Wednesday, July 24, 2013

AmpliVox calls the suburb of Northbrook, IL, home, and we take great pride in seeing our friends and community members thrive. One of our closest friends, Howard Schultz, has positively transformed the Northbrook and surrounding community during his time as executive director and CEO of the North Suburban YMCA.

We recently came across a great profile piece of Mr. Schultz from the summer 2013 issue of Advancing Philanthropy that illuminates the steps he has taken to improve the NSYMCA since assuming his role in 2006. He has completely reversed the organization’s financial troubles using strategic fundraising initiatives that have both paid off existing debt and offered new capital for renovations and structural improvements to facilities. He has also overseen the doubling of NSYMCA members thanks to an expanded selection of strong recreational programming for individuals and families. As a symbol of just how far the NSYMCA has come, the organization was named “Small Business of the Year” by the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce for 2013.

We congratulate Mr. Schultz on a job well done, and encourage you to read more about his work at the North Suburban YMCA by reading the Advancing Philanthropy article.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

It is the season for outdoor sporting events. From soccer to softball, athletics have moved outside and with it, the challenges of being heard.

The challenge of extending your voice is especially prevalent in the world of track and field. With multiple events taking place at once across a massive track setting that stretches farther than a football field, clear sound is vital to maintain organization and communication before, during, and following a track and field meet.

Track and field race starters have a particular challenge during the course of the meet. After all, they have the important job of marking the beginning of each race by notifying the participating runners, in a fair and clear manner, when to take their marks, get set, and go.

According to the United States of America Track and Field (USATF) Officiating Technique Manual on race starters, “The importance of the starter’s voice control cannot be emphasized too much. A calm voice is one of the most important characteristics of the successful starter.” In an outdoor, crowded stadium though, there is simply no way for a starter to produce a clear and calm voice without help.

The S610A Half Mile Hailer

The AmpliVox Sound Systems Half Mile Hailer has proven time and again to be the solution to crafting outdoor sound that carries, without leaving stress and fatigue on the speaker.Using a simple set of controls and an amplifier with 50 watts of pure sound power, the device can carry your voice up to a half mile in distance.Runners at the starting marks will hear you. Coaches and other athletes getting prepared will hear you. Attendees in the crowd will hear you.

At ten pounds and completely wireless, the Half Mile Hailer can be comfortably carried using an accompanying shoulder strap so wherever a starter has to travel during the course of a meet, he can be assured he will be heard. The device can also be strategically positioned at or near the starting line to ensure runners will have uninterrupted access to your voice.

Another important consideration for race starters is their relationship the microphone needed to project their voice. Depending on one’s particular needs and comfort, the Hailer is offered in three models, each with a different style of microphone: the S610A comes with a dynamic corded microphone, the SW610A is equipped with a wireless lapel and headset microphone, and the SW615A includes a handheld wireless microphone.

AmpliVox customer Jerry recently received one of our Half Mile Hailers to assist in his work as a track and field starter for USATF. He had these thoughts to share:

“I am a national level USATF track and field starter. The Half Mile Hailer makes it easier to do my job and leaves me feeling less tired at the end of a meet. I have seen some of the other systems starters use and nothing can beat the Hailer. Many have extension cords running everywhere and dinky tripods holding standard outdoor speakers that work okay but not great. With the Half Mile Hailer, I now have the perfect setup. I have tested it in every situation and it is outstanding. When the conversation comes up about portable PA system's, I will be pushing the Half Mile Hailer as the only way to go.”

We appreciate Jerry’s support and are pleased the Half Mile Hailer is making a difference for USATF track and field starter.

If you are a track and field starter like Jerry, or find yourself in need of audio support to improve your outdoor activities, we encourage you to learn more about the Half Mile Hailer by visiting our website, or give us a call at 800-267-5486. You can also follow us at @AmpliVox on Twitter or like our Facebook page to connect with us online.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

InfoComm 2013 has come to a close, and one of its main attractions was all of the games and festivities going on at the booth of Rave Publications. Rave Pubs is a digital media group that focuses on delivering news covering audio visual technology and its tradeshows. This year Rave Pubs detailed all aspects of InfoComm13 by deploying an army of videographers onto the show floor to shoot videos on every single new product producing a catalog of what was presented at InfoComm13.

In addition to the InfoComm13 news coverage, Rave Publications and its sponsors brought to the event “The Game 4”, a Plinko style game tournament played at each sponsor’s booth giving away prizes such as head phones, gift cards, flash drives, iPod shuffles, Apple TVs, iPads, rAVe t-shirts and super hero collectibles. The first player at each booth who had their chip land in the specially marked sponsored slot then had qualified for a chance to win a 2013 Smart Car.

The winner at each booth was then entered into Rave’s Tournament of Champions, where competitors played against each other in a game of bean bag toss. Players advanced by tossing three bean bags and making more in the hole than their opponents. The lucky player that made it to the final got to play Dave Labuskes, CEO and executive director of InfoComm 2013, and if you could beat Dave then you would win the 2013 Smart Car.

rAVe Publications chose AmpliVox PA systems to broadcast announcements for their Tournament of Champions using the SW720 iPad, iPhone, iPod Wireless PA System and multiple S207 Beltblaster Pros for announcements, audio support and crowd control throughout the show, including their trips around the show floor during the opening Plinko rounds.

rAVe was very pleased with the performance of the AmpliVox PA systems. Here is what their President, Gary Kayye, had to say:

"At this year's InfoComm show, we selected AmpliVox for our live voice amplification system for rAVe's THE GAME 4 as well as to allow for LIVE listening of our Podcasts in the booth - both worked flawlessly.

Not only did the gear work exactly as advertised - something we don't often see in AV - but the user experience was perfect. It worked right out of the box, kept a charge all day and we never even had to open the user's manual. Bravo to AmpliVox for a truly 10+ customer experience factor!"